Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-08-05
HUNTING ANTS EGGS.
Thu Peculiar Industry Carried On BY q
Number of French Peasants.

HUN tbN1 NN - NOs
Tn. Peculiar Industry Carried On by .
Number of French Peasants.
One of the strangest of sports, or
rather Of industries-since to few
men employed in the forests of France
Il supplies part of their means of
ljyelihood-is the gathering of ants
ocrs. The larve Of those insects.
which are often as large as the ants
themselves, are used in geological gar
dens and elsewhere as food for tropical
birds reared in captivity. lie Moniteur
de la Chase, hunting journal, gives
picturesque account of hunt for ants
eggs, from which we make a transla-
ton Of some extracts.
.'At sunrise we set out into the woods
accompanied by the old forest guard,
Denis, and his son, Jean. The latter
carried big bag and shovel, we had
tied strings around the bottoms of our
trousers and around our coat sleeves
at the wrists, as a precaution against
the sort of game we were after. Be
fore long we came upon one of the lit
tie hillocks of twigs which form the
ants houses. Jean held his bag open
by the ant-hill, and Denis simply gave
two or three strokes with his shovel,
thrusting ants. twigs and eggs all pell-
nell into the bag. The sack was quick
lytied up, and another ant-hill sought
and despoiled, and this was repeated
until the bag was full.
"'And now comes what is more in
teresting, said old Denis-'the sorting
of the eggs. l have an extensive es-
Enlistment where this is carried on
permanently The old man smiled as
he spoke We proceeded to level
clearing in the woods, open to the sun,
in the middle of which there was a
ring made of empty tiower-pots laid on
thelr sides, the mouths of the pots
turned toward the center. Jean laid
down his bag, with its thousands of
squIrmlng prisoners, while he covered
the ring of ilower-pots over with the
green branches of trees in such a way
as TO shade them completely. but not
Inc middle of the circle. Then, into
uis sunny space in the center, he
opened his bag and emptied it's con-
tents Instantly, as if by inspiration,
Tue wrlthlng mass of ants began carry-
ny 'nelr eggs into the shaded pots.
lhey knew that, if left many minutes
exposed to the sun, their delicate young
ones would certainly die. and they de-
posted The lave in the pots as fast as
ucs could carry them. Before long
'oii,e OF the pots were half filled with
ao'nihg but eggs, and these pots Denis
sApueu, one at time, into a smaller
Oag While the ants continued to
, So's q. the rescue of their eggs from
mt probing sun, Jean returned to the
s sv9as' and came back at length with
sun another bag full of his strangely
th ,A'u material, which he poured into
m ~ Mri'nlhg arena. Denis, in the
a,n sa.l'me' continued steadily at work
,a Irving the fower-pots white with
'"''e -iouth's Companion.
~,
Inc inspection of meat IN Berlin is
''l important matter. Twelve vet
!, hf surgeons are employed to stamp
sa oeiore slaughter, and forty micro
CIV Ym, samplers are continually en-
s III examining the meat exposed
,U' s''e. Besides these 100 experts are
a. IN various duties, twenty-six
VI whom are women.
ha "a witness who was called to prove
.a,. 'o..ectness of doctors bill. was
al the doctor did not make sever
his nross visits-did not continue
wa a psolesslonal calls after the patient
ha unt'reiy out of danger. To which
avail i,u,pneu' after little reflection:
u,t;0n. no. The fact is, you see, the
danSar s wouldn't be entirely out of
inc 6;n, rs Is long as the doctor Kept visit
"'in N. ELedger.
ara No, mas oeen proven that Arab horses
anv ~. more fleet of foot than those of
vera ,ho country. A belief that they
eaterta; s fastest ., nags has always been
howare 'ned till lately. The Arab horse
harIsh;r' can no doubt stand more
NAL IN r r 'aan any other similar ami
longer Or" 81 countries, and can keep up
horse Sc o Ur snort rations than any other
anywhere else.
"A W. -
waged w war OF determination is being
Albany, n v the =, English sparrow in
boys and ~ ~, L. They are shot by the
one and SIa sold to provision-dealers at
dealers o as-qaarter cents apiece. The
-s Dozen for IL -. A''u man